


The Blizzard

by MaritheFangirl



Category: When The Night Comes (Visual Novel)
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Illusions, Mind Manipulation, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-01
Updated: 2020-11-01
Packaged: 2021-03-09 02:40:31
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,008
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27317149
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MaritheFangirl/pseuds/MaritheFangirl
Summary: During a sudden winter storm, Riley is torn from the comfort of their home to join Piper to investigate the woods. Through the snow, they find creatures with the ability to bend and twist their minds, fighting with both illusion and deception. They have to battle the elements, the monsters, and their own minds to protect Lunaris.
Relationships: Finnegan Kazimir/Ezra Lyon/Original Character(s), Hunter/Finnegan Kazimir/Ezra Lyon, Piper Meriman & Hunter, Piper Meriman & Original Character(s)
Kudos: 12





	The Blizzard

Pushing through the heavy snow and the biting wind, Riley trudged their way home.

They had been working late, and exhaustion had really started to creep up on them in the last hour. They wanted nothing more than to get home and curl up and get some rest.

They winced as the freezing wind bit into their cheeks, and added getting a hot drink and a change of clothes to their list of wants.

Flexing their fingers as they were starting to feel numb, they held a hand out as they made their way through town, barely able to see five feet in front of them with all of the heavy snow. It was just a flurry of white, the only sounds the howling wind and the crunch of the heavy snow beneath their boots.

It was early for a blizzard, they thought. Before that morning, the only snow was the frost before sunrise.

A dark shape approached in the flurries, and Riley had just enough time to side step to avoid crashing into them. It was an Enforcer, who marched on, ignoring them. They glanced at their retreating form before the snow took them out of sight.

Pulling their scarf tighter around them, they pushed the thought out of their mind and focused on getting home.

Seeing the door to the shop filled them with relief, and they pulled their key out of their pocket, and cursed when they fumbled it and it dropped in the snow. They pulled off their mitt, wincing as their now exposed fingers were in the freezing air. Just managing to turn the key and push the door open, they quickly shoved both hand and key into the mitt again.

Riley practically stumbled through the door, and forced it closed behind them, still able to hear the howling wind on the other side of the walls. They shivered, brushing the half an inch of snow off of their shoulders and coat.

The purple curtain across the room shifted, and Ezra poked his head out, his smile warm, but turning to concern as he saw how frozen they were.

“You made it home,” he said, grinning and coming over to greet them.

Riley sighed, “Hm, barely.”

They blinked, their eyes sore from both the cold and exhaustion.

He cupped their face, his fingers so warm against their cold skin it practically practically burned.

“You’re _freezing,_ ” his eyebrows pitched together.

Riley used his shoulders to brace themselves as they rose up for a kiss. Ezra brushed his thumb against their face.

“I’ll make you some tea,” he told them, his voice soft as he kissed them tenderly on the forehead.

He squeezed their shoulder before heading back into the kitchen, passing Finn who was leaning in the doorway.

As Riley began removing the layers of winter clothes they had on, they glanced up to see him watching them.

“Need some help?” he asked.

“If you’re offering I certainly wouldn’t mind,” they said, pulling off their mitts, and setting their house key down on the counter.

Finn came over, dusting some snow off of their hair, as it was melting and their wet hair was sticking to their face. Riley tired to unbutton their jacket, but their fingers were so numb their grip kept slipping. He took their wrist, their pulse fluttering against his grip, and helped them slip out of the heavy coat.

Tugging their scarf loose, and using Finn’s arm to brace themself to help get out of their boots, they sighed and leaned into him. He wrapped his arms and pulled them into a hug. They rested their head on his chest, not even minding that he wasn’t warm, just being in his arms was enough.

Finn chuckled warmly as they let out a long sigh against his skin, “Long day?” he asked.

“I’m just happy to be home,” they said, and they took his iron hand, their fingers intertwining.

He brought their hand up to his lips, kissing their knuckles softly, and settling an arm around their waist.

They felt something soft brush up against their leg, and looked down to see Coco winding her way between their legs, headbutting them affectionately. They grinned, and detangled themself from Finn to crouch down and pet her. They scratched behind her ears, and kissed her on the top of the head. Satisfied, she hit their leg with her tail before darting off.

Riley and Finn made their way to the kitchen, sitting beside each other at the table. Ezra tossed a grin over his shoulder before pouring two cups of tea, steam billowing off of them, and placing one in front of Riley. He nursed his own, taking a seat, and blowing on the cup.

Riley took a sip of their own drink, and winced as it was still burning hot. They set it back down gently on the table.

They were starting to have feeling return to their fingers, and still couldn’t wait to get under the covers in bed with their husbands and hide from the snow outside and get some sleep.

There was a pounding on the door.

Riley stared into their tea cup, recognizing those knocks.

“Maybe it’s the wind,” they said blandly, dreading to why Piper was at the door in the middle of a blizzard.

They were already out of their seat when she called their name through the door, and not wanting her to freeze, they unlocked it and let her in. She let out a string of curses, her hair practically white from the snow.

She was also adorned in armor.

“The kettle’s still warm, if you’re here for tea,” they said, their voice weak as dread settled in the pit of their stomach, knowing she certainly was not here for tea.

Piper sighed, giving them a knowing look.

“You know I wouldn’t—”

“You wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t important. I _know,_ ” Riley finished for her, “But please don’t make me go back out there, I just finished getting all of those clothes off.”

Despite their complaining, their tone was still joking, but Piper had an unusually grim look on her that made Riley stiffen.

They sighed, “Alright, give me five minutes to get ready.”

Piper nodded, rubbing her hands together and blowing on them for warmth.

Riley gathered their gear, their crossbow and bolts that they strapped to their waist, a short sword and its sheathe, and pieces of their armor. Their winter clothes were stiffer and heavier than what they were used to fighting in, but with the weather the way it was, they couldn’t get away with wearing something lighter.

Forsaking their mitts for a pair of sturdy gloves instead, they nodded at Piper as they pulled their hair back, still damp from the melting snow.

Ezra and Finn stood at the counter, the former holding out one of their daggers, which they took from him and slid it into the holster on their boot.

“I’m sorry,” they said, feelings of guilt and regret pulling at their heart.

Ezra shook his head, “Don’t be, just come home safe.”

“I will, I promise,” they said, and then flashed a tired grin, “Can’t promise that I won’t be frozen to the bone when I get back, though.”

Finn tucked a stray hair behind their ear, a smile tugging at his lips, “Go, Lieutenant-General.”

Riley grabbed both their hands, squeezing them and giving them a smile before following Piper out the door.

The snowstorm had not let up, and Riley shut their eyes tight as it stung with the cold and the driving wind. Blindly, they reached out for Piper, grabbing onto her jacket as they made their way through the snow.

“So what’s going on?” Riley asked her, their voice being whipped away in the wind.

Piper looked back, her hair blowing in her face, and she pushed it out of the way.

“August said they needed us, that’s all they told me, but they said it was urgent,” she explained.

Riley pulled their jacket tighter around them, fighting their way through the storm.

They reached the edge of town before the woods began. Against a wall that provided some shelter from the wind and driving snow, was a frozen looking August looking none too happy about being outside in such conditions.

Piper and Riley practically collapsed against the wall, grateful for the small reprieve.

August was huddled in their coat, still managing to look well dressed and done up in their winter clothes.

“Good, you’re here. There’s something going on in the woods.”

They glanced towards the tree line, the trees turned white and the ground blanketed in heavy snow.

“I’ve sent a few Hunters in to investigate but none of them have returned. It’s been almost an hour.”

“What have you heard?” Riley asked.

“One report earlier today of someone on the edge of town. They saw a strange, flying creature darting through the woods. Later in the day a Hunter went missing after investigating the woods. Just now I’ve heard sounds of fighting deeper in, But I didn’t want to risk going in alone,” they explained.

“No, and you should stay here to see if any of the Hunters return,” Piper pointed out, “Riley and I will head in.”

Riley nodded, swallowing hard.

August nodded stiffly, glancing out into the woods, “Be careful.”

“No, I’m going to be as reckless as possible,” Piper told them, patting their shoulder before offering her arm for Riley to grab onto as they made their way through the snow and into the woods.

To hear anything over the howling wind and see through the blowing snow was next to impossible, so Riley let their senses roam, to reach out and to see if anything reached back—creature or Hunter. They assumed Piper was doing the same.

They stumbled on a tree root that was half buried in the snow, almost dragging Piper down with them, but she steadied them. She was strong, gripping their arm until they righted themselves again. They gave her a nod of thanks.

A sudden prickling awareness made itself known on the edge of their mind—something familiar. Through the wind, they heard voices, panicked and growls. They glanced at Piper, and with one look they knew she felt and heard the same. They rushed through the heavy snow to the sounds.

As they grew closer, Riley clued in, recognizing this part of the woods as well. Omen and Alkar. They quickened their pace, pushing past a cluster of trees.

A pained yelp reached their ears just as they came onto the scene. Through the wind and the snow, there was a bright flame that hurt their eyes to look at, a blazing fire that created a gap in the snow. 

Omen whipped around when he noticed Riley and Piper’s presence, and Riley stopped in their tracks.

It was easy to forget, tusks and tail aside, that Omen was a demon. His glamour was powerful, covering something truly ancient and immense.

They saw a glimpse of it now, and even that sliver was enough to send all of their Hunter senses alight. The only thing saving them was his attention wasn’t fully on the pair of them.

The tips of his hair melting into flames as he whipped back around, his body glowing like coals on a fire.

A skittering, clicking sound drew their gaze from the demon—and their hand went right for their weapon.

It was winged, and it moved _fast_ , gossamer wings shining like ice. It had a spindly pale body, with six legs and a long proboscis. The way it moved through the air, they noticed a haze around it, and felt the presence of a stronger magic than they were expecting for such a creature.

It was attacking Alkar, who’s body was partially transformed, claws glinting in the dim light of the snowstorm. He was snarling, but harried by the creature.

Piper and Riley both reached for their weapons when a blaze of fire struck the creature. A gut wrenching shriek filled the air, before it landed hard in the snow, charred.

Omen rushed to Alkar’s side, who was nursing a cut on his arm. He glanced up at the Hunters, but his expression was dark.

“They clear?” he asked Omen, not turning his gaze from them, fangs still bared.

Omen nodded, “They’re fine, it’s them.”

Alkar let out a breath, the snow swirling around the four of them.

“Are you alright?” Riley asked, stepping forward, looking at his wound.

He waved them off, “S’fine, it’ll heal quickly. Unless the bastards are made of silver.”

Riley glanced around, the forest floor had a few more corpses of the creatures.

Piper nudged one with her foot, “What are these things?”

“The hell if I know, giant ice mosquitoes?” Alkar shrugged.

Riley wracked their brain, trying to remember if they had read about creatures like these. They studied one of the dead bodies, trying to chase away the fog in their brain.

“What did you mean when you wondered if it was us?” Piper questioned.

Alkar kicked the body of the burned creature, “They get in your head, and fuck with it. Makes you see things that aren’t really there.”

He swallowed hard, and then gestured to Omen, “He could see through it, so I just had to check you weren’t more of these things in disguise.”

“Frost Fiends,” Riley said suddenly, drawing gazes.

They stood up, brushing the snow off their pants, looking to Piper.

“These are Frost Fiends. I remember learning about them years ago, but I thought they only lived in the far north,” Riley glanced down at the bodies.

They saw the look of recognition in Piper’s eyes as her own memory clicked, and she nodded, “They’re here to hunt, you think?”

Riley nodded, “There should be a Queen, if we can find and kill her, hopefully the rest will scatter away from the town.”

They looked up at the harsh wind and snow practically bending the trees in half, “Maybe the storm will clear once they’re gone too.”

Omen took a cautious step forward, “Our home entrance is surrounded, I don’t think it’s safe to go back there.”

He glanced at Alkar, who in the absence of attention on him, was nursing the cut on his arm. He looked up, and hid his arm behind his back.

“You should try and make it to town, and get inside somewhere,” Riley told them.

Alkar nodded, grabbing Omen’s hand, “We’ll head to the Wolf. I’ll—”

His ears flattened against his head, the winds shifted, and a skittering, clicking sound filled the air. Riley and Piper exchanged a look, both reaching for their weapons.

Piper gestured to Alkar and Omen, “Go, we’ll cover you.”

Omen pulled Alkar into the tree line, and the pair vanished into the swirling snow.

Riley loaded a bolt into their crossbow, glancing at Piper, as they both got into position.

Three Frost Fiends burst through the trees, wings whirring, kicking up the snow around them.

Riley fired their crossbow, and backed up as they reloaded—Piper spun her daggers and charged forwards.

Their back hit a tree, and they fired again as one of the Fiends flew their way. At the last moment, they ducked and dodged out of the way. It spun in the air, changing course before it hit the tree.

It lunged for them, and they side stepped, bashing its thorax with their crossbow before firing it again.

The snow on the ground was heavy, slowing them down. They only got a few feet before it righted itself and pierced them with its proboscis **.**

A sharp, blinding pain from their arm wracked through their body as they let out a cry, their arm seizing up. They dropped their crossbow in the snow.

Riley landed on the ground, hard, digging their nails in the dirt. The Frost Fiend circled them, ice glinting off its wings.

Their body felt heavy and weak, and they struggled to get back on their feet, just slipping and falling again.

Piper stood in front of them, her eyes wide, sunlight making her hair glow.

“We have to go,” she said, holding out a hand to help them up.

They began to reach out, but their hand faltered. Looking around, the snow had stopped, the forest was clear and sunny, the ground earthy.

Piper held out her hand incessantly, but Riley crawled back, pulling their dagger out of their boot. She looked at them with concern.

They felt a stinging pain in their back and for a flash, the world righted itself. Instead of Piper in front of them, it was the Fiend baring down on them. They rolled, feeling the cold of the snow through the fabric of their coat, but unable to see it. They shook there head, trying to get rid of whatever magic the Fiend was infecting their mind with. They grabbed their crossbow from where it landed on the ground, loading it.

They got to their feet, looking around, but the clearing was empty and still, only the wind blowing in the trees.

Dark shapes darted from trunk to trunk in the corner of their eye, and they whirled around, trying to track anything they could.

Their name was on the wind, softly, and then crying out. Piper was calling for them. Riley spun around, to see her battling one of the Fiends, daggers in hand. They aimed up a shot with their crossbow, but they stopped before firing the bolt.

They didn’t know what was real, what they actually could be firing at. Piper glanced at them, concern in her eyes as to why they weren’t helping.

They figured if that was the real Piper, she would be going through the same thing and would understand their hesitation. They turned away from that battle, scanning the trees again.

A clicking sound chittered in their ear, and they fired blindly.

Snow surrounded them once more, pulled out of the visions. The Frost Fiend let out a horrible shriek, the bolt landing true. They reloaded as it struggled, and finished it off.

They surveyed the scene, the wind blowing their hair in their face.

Piper was catching her breath, holding both daggers, and a dead Fiend at her feet. She glanced warily at Riley, on the defense.

“Did you see all that too?” she asked.

“It got all in my head, it made itself look like you,” Riley confessed, eyeing her up. They weren’t pointing the crossbow at her, but they still had it loaded and ready to go.

She nodded, “It did the same to me. I don’t know how smart it is, or even if you’re it.”

Riley shook their head, “It’s me, I promise.”

Then they let out a weak laugh, “I suppose that’s exactly what I would say if it _wasn’t_ me, huh?”

Piper snorted, and Riley lowered their crossbow. They knew her laugh, and doubted the Fiends would be able to mimic it that well.

Piper gripped her dagger, looking out at forest, “How many were there? Three?”

Riley looked at the two dead on the forest floor, and back up at Piper, and nodded.

She swallowed, still eyeing them up.

“So it’s still out there, or hiding and watching us,” Riley said.

“Right,” Piper said, still not looking away from them.

Riley tried to figure out what to say to put her mind at ease that they weren’t another illusion, when they saw something shift behind her shoulder.

They raised their crossbow, firing immediately, before they had time to shout a warning.

Piper dodged out of the way of the bolt, already a few steps towards them before the clicking of the creature caught her attention. She launched herself at it, slicing it up. It fell to the ground, dead.

Panting, she let out a full body shudder.

“I couldn’t even sense it, everything was setting off my Hunter’s sense, I couldn’t focus on one thing.”

Riley took a deep breath of the cold air, letting out an exhale that turned to mist. Their mind felt clearer, and everything seemed to be as it should.

“Are you alright?” Riley asked, and she nodded, rolling her shoulders.

“We should get moving, look for the other Hunters, try and find the Queen.”

Riley brushed their hair out of their eyes, ready to go, when they heard a twig snap behind them. Them and Piper shared a glance, before backing up together, looking towards the noise.

Riley raised their crossbow to fire, but it wasn’t a creature coming out from the trees.

An exhausted looking August braced themself against the trunk of a tree, their lip split and bleeding. They held up a hand as if in surrender.

Lowering their crossbow, they looked them up and down.

“Are you hurt?” Riley asked.

They shook their head, wind blowing the loose strands of hair framing their face. Touching their lip, they wiped away the blood.

“No, but I am glad I found you. Those creatures attacked me at the edge of town,” they explained.

Riley took a step forward to go them, but Piper put a hand on their shoulder.

“Did some of the other Hunters come back?” Piper asked.

Their long eyelashes dipped down, “Not yet.”

“I thought you were going to wait there for them.”

“We have to get back to town,” August told them, taking a step back and tilting their head for them to follow.

Piper didn’t move, hands still on her daggers. She glanced at Riley, who swallowed hard.

Riley studied them. In appearance they looked just as they had left them only half an hour earlier, but the cadence of their voice, they way they held themself— it was enough to make them hesitate.

They took a cautious step forward, even as Piper tightened her grip around their arm.

The Enforcer gave the pair an impatient look.

Piper pointed her dagger at them, “Tell me something only you would know.”

They raised a brow, “Really?”

Piper nudged Riley’s arm, and they raised their crossbow.

“I mean, that’s a hard question to answer on the spot,” Riley pointed out, murmuring to Piper, “Give them a moment at least.”

August rolled their eyes, looking skywards.

“Where did you grow up?” Piper pressed.

August opened their mouth, and there was a beat. Riley met eyes with them, and felt a sick feeling in their stomach.

They closed their mouth, and let out a sigh.

“Fine,” was all they said.

The forest shifted, blinding light shining through the trees. Riley winced, covering their eyes as it burned, and when they squinted their eyes back open—August was gone.

“ _Shit,_ ” snarled Piper, looking around for any sign of them.

Riley held out their crossbow, and pressed their back against Piper’s keeping an eye out.

“We should have just attacked it off the batt, and gotten the jump on it,” Piper muttered.

“I wasn’t about to fire a bolt into my boss’s heart before I knew if it was them or not,” Riley protested.

There was a shift of movement in the trees, and Riley loosed their crossbow. They heard a dull thud, and figure they hit a tree.

From behind them, on Piper’s side, something lashed out.

The Fiend still had the form of August, and it made Riley’s breath catch in their throat. They were aglow, swirling magic pouring out of them. A blast of magic was sent their direction, and they dodged.

Part of it licked their wrist, and they flinched back, only to realize it wasn’t hurting them—just an illusion.

The illusion of August was fighting Piper, and she jammed her dagger upwards into what should have been a killing blow, but they just faded away.

Another August came through the trees, heading for Riley. Their hand shook, meeting their eyes. They _knew_ it was an illusion, but parted of them was resisting firing.

They saw something icy blue shift just over August’s shoulder, and they aimed their crossbow, and closed their eyes.

They heard a horrible shriek, and when they opened their eyes, the illusionary image of August was gone.

The Frost Fiend was reeling, their bolt striking their abdomen. Piper rushed up, daggers in hand, and finished it off. It landed in a snowbank, sending snow into the air.

Piper stared at it, huffing a breath. Snowflakes glittered in her hair.

“It must have attacked August, and saw how they look and fight. Do you think we should checkout the town to make sure everything’s alright?” Riley asked.

Piper shook her head, “It was trying to lead us into an ambush, and I’ll bet others are still waiting. August can handle them, and there’s other Hunter’s in the area. We need to find the Queen, and hope that the remaining Fiends will scatter.”

Riley let out a breath, walking over to her, placing a hand on her arm. “We need to stay together, never get out of sight.”

Piper looked down, her brow furrowed, “There was a moment, before that last one came. You fired at one of them behind me, but I thought—”

“I know, I’m sorry. I should’ve shouted a warning.”

“We just need to end this, I can’t stand them being in my head anymore.”

Riley squeezed her arm reassuringly, and reloaded their crossbow.

“Then let’s go.”

They made their way through the forest. The blizzard was howling, the freezing wind biting into Riley’s cheeks. Their eyes watered from the cold, and the tears froze on their eyelashes.

They could hear things on the wind, voices, crying out, the clang of metal, and the clicking sounds of the Fiends.

Not being able to tell whether those sounds were real, if the other Hunters were out fighting in the forest, or if they were just more tricks from the Fiends trying to draw them into traps was making them jumpy and paranoid.

Piper and them walked side by side, never letting the other out of sight.

They felt a chill roll over their spine, and they saw Piper stiffen beside them. The feeling that a creature was near was stronger than it had been before, they could sense creatures up ahead.

The crunch of snow beneath boots caught their attention, as two people sprung out from behind a tree. Hunters—Riley recognized their faces, but couldn’t place names.

Piper launched forward, daggers in hand while Riley backed up, loading their crossbow. They had a shot, but hesitated before firing, their heart hammering.

She was a flurry of daggers, but one of them got her along her ribcage, and Riley saw her wince. She staggered back, trying to get her bearings.

Riley finally fired, and as their bolt landed true, the awful screech and chittering sound wasn’t something a fellow Hunter would make.

Their eyes blurred, and they saw the Frost Fiends for what they were as they flew around the pair.

Reloading, they trained the bow onto them, waiting for an opening as Piper launched herself back in the action.

The world around them because strange and blurry, the Frost Fiends seemed to shift with a million different colours—like their icy bodies were reflecting everything around them. They shifted, becomes just strange shapes and shadows amongst the trees.

Riley couldn’t keep focused on one, just seeing shadows lunge out at them. Their eyes trained a sparkling shape behind a tree, before feeling a sharp pain pierce between their shoulder blades.

They cried out, falling to the ground as the pain wracked through their body, taking laboured breaths. Their hands were shaking so much they could barely hold their crossbow as they turned around and blindly shot upwards. Their bolt was loosed into the air, but they didn’t see it land.

They felt dizzy, their head spinning as they tried to keep track of the creatures.

Beneath them, the forest floor shifted and spun beneath them. They saw the snow melt and grass and flowers spring up from the ground, a warm summer wind blowing around them. The trees sprouted buds and leaves, which then turned to the reds and oranges of autumn, before scattering to the ground. All the plants withered and died, and the snow returned.

Riley fired at a dark shape they could just see out of the corner of their eye, and an awful screeching sound filled the air. The world righted itself for just a moment, just long enough for them to catch their breath.

They could see flashes of Piper, daggers in hand, hunting after the Fiends. They could hear the sound of metal clanging as she fought them off.

For a moment, the world was silent and Riley and Piper exchanged a glance. The winter wind howled, and Riley pushed their hair back, the tips of the strands covered in frost.

They heard a clicking sound from behind then, and turned around quickly. Their hands were shaking, but they took a breath to steady themselves as they reloaded their crossbow.

A massive Frost Fiend flew through the trees, the largest they had seen. Its wings had brilliant colours that swirled around. The Queen, they figured it had to be.

Riley fired, backing up from it as Piper rushed forward.

The moment they watched their bolt land in its abdomen, they felt a wave of vertigo. They stumbled, as the world around them seemed to turn upside down. Their hands were slick with sweat as they tried to steady themself, to convince themself this wasn’t real, no mattered how it looked or felt.

They shut their eyes, trying to focus on where they could sense the Fiend, but it seemed to be coming from all directions, anywhere its magic was permeating.

Riley let out a long breath, their hands steady as they looked around, gathering themself.

They saw a flash of the wings, and fired, hearing a pained screech from behind the trees.

Stumbling from out behind the tree was a Hunter, their blue sash tied around their arm, dressed for winter and—

Their breath caught in their throat as they recognized the coat, and then the face.

They were looking at themself, and watching as the illusionary version pulled out their short sword and launched themself at Piper.

Their fingers felt numb from the cold.

Riley made a noise of disgust, and shook their head, trying to right themself as they fired. Seeing their bolt land in their own chest was making their head hurt. They caught a glimpse of Piper’s face, the determination but also distress.

They felt an impossible heat lick at their face, and glanced behind them.

All around them, they were encased in a circle of fire, the smoke heavy in the air and the heat from the flames making their eyes tear up. They backed away, holding their crossbow at the ready, although they weren’t sure how that would help against the fire.

They remembered when the Fiend had made an image of August, and their magic, and how it couldn’t hurt them. They stuck out their leg into the flames, ready to pull it back and into the snow. It was hot, the heat engulfing them, but it didn’t burn.

Piper cried out, and they spun around to find her fighting the Frost Fiend Queen, and was flung back, landing in the illusionary flames. The Fiend vanished back into the trees.

Trying to ignore the heat, Riley pushed forward, rushing to Piper’s side. Her lip was bleeding, and she had a wound in her torso, the blood soaking through her armour and coat. She looked exhausted.

Riley didn’t know if they could do this on their own, and thought of trying to flee and getting Piper to safety, where they could come back with reinforcements.

She was taking laboured breaths, and holding her hand to the bleeding wound. Riley kept a grip on their crossbow, standing protectively over Piper in case the Fiend flew back in.

Through the illusionary flames, they saw a figure enveloped in smoke. The wind blew the flames just enough for them to see another Piper standing there, looking haggard but on her feet, twirling her daggers.

Riley raised their crossbow at her, glancing at the injured Piper on the ground, and swallowed hard.

The Piper across from them glanced down to see the other one on the ground, before looking back up at Riley.

“That’s not me!” she yelled over the crackling of the flames, “Get away from it!”

Riley took a step back from the injured Piper, keeping their crossbow trained on both versions of her. They let out a violent string of curses under their breath.

Piper on the ground groaned in pain, and the Piper across from them was keeping an eye both on Riley and her surroundings. She gave them a desperate, pleading look.

Injured Piper rolled over, and Riley switched to aiming at her, trying to keep their hands steady.

Their hesitation kept them in limbo for too long, and before they had a chance to react, the injured version of Piper launched herself at them.

They felt an icy cold pain in their side, their whole body feeling numb as they fell to their knees. Their eyes went blurry from the pain.

In front of them was the massive Frost Fiend, piercing into their side. They pulled out their short sword from the sheath on their back, and stabbed into it. Piper charged, attacking from the other side.

The creature wrenched out of Riley, its screeching sound filling the night air. Riley drove their blade in deeper, before it fell to the ground, dead.

The illusions faded, the flames gone, and they finally felt like they were on solid ground. They glanced up at Piper, her hair blowing in the wind.

“Please be really you,” they pleaded.

She grinned, “Last week I had to carry you home from the Wolf because you and I did a drinking contest and you _lost_.”

“And the next morning at work, you made sure to make as much noise as possible to drive me crazy because I was hungover,” Riley added, to prove their own innocence to her.

Piper nodded, both confident it really was the other and not another illusion. She held out a hand to help them up, but her brow furrowed.

“ _Shit,_ Riley, you’re bleeding.”

They looked down at where the Frost Fiend had pierced them, and felt lightheaded at the sight of all of the blood pouring from the wound, soaking through their coat. They flipped the end on their coat up, and pressed down hard on the gash, trying to slow the bleeding.

It was throbbing, and their hands shook, slick with blood. Piper helped them up, but their knees buckled. She caught them, and pulled their arm over her shoulder to help brace them as they walked back through the blizzard and the forest.

The bitter cold and snow slowed their progress, and Riley was shivering and shaking, desperate to get home.

Piper was stalwart and helped them through the forest, navigating trees and the roots and making it to the edge of the forest and the start of town.

August was there, a few dead Frost Fiends around them. They looked up warily, looking exhausted.

They held up a hand to stop them.

“I need to know it’s really you,” they said, “They already tried it once.”

Piper shifted Riley to better bear their weight, “The last mission you gave me before this was a goblin clan was attacking people who strayed too far out of town.”

Riley took a rattling breath, hand still pressed to their wound. Their voice came out weak, “You came over two or three days ago because Ezra was making you some sort of potion?”

They nodded, seemingly satisfied with the answers.

“One of them turned into you as well,” Piper prompted, “But it didn’t know where you grew up.”

“Argyria,” they replied.

Piper let out a sigh, and brought Riley up to them, “I’m going to take them home to Ezra, and I’ll do the report up for you.

Riley made a noise of protest, “I’ll help you.”

She patted their forehead, “Focus on not dying, first.”

She turned back to August, “We found the Queen and killed it, and the forest had no sign of any others on the way back.”

August got on their other side, helping support them as they made there way through the snow to the shop.

“Did the other Hunters make it back?” Piper asked.

August let out a breath, which turned to mist in the freezing air, “Some of them. I was still waiting on two, but if the creatures have scattered and been destroyed I can send people to look for them.”

“Did you see Omen and Alkar? Did they make it here alright?” Riley asked, their voice weak, and they pressed harder on the wound, feeling exhausted and sore.

“They ran by earlier, said they were on the way to the Wolf,” August told them.

Riley nodded, glad that they made it out of the forest mostly unscathed.

They made it to the front of Ezra’s shop. Piper knocked rhythmically on the door, waiting for an answer. The wards on the door glowed brightly, before it swung open.

The Witch stood in the doorway, shivering from the blast of cold air.

His eyebrows knitted together in worry when he saw the bleeding, haggard form of Riley being support by Piper and August. He ushered them all inside.

Finn was there in the shop, taking Riley from the other two and helping them lie down on the couch.

August and Piper were explaining to Ezra what happened while Finn was helping Riley pull their coat off and getting to the wound. They lifted their shirt, bloodstained, and saw the gash. They winced, as it was still stinging.

Finn ran his fingers through their hair, and he took a long breath they knew he didn’t need.

They shut their eyes from the pain, and reached out to grab his hand. The cold iron was comforting against their skin.

They heard the door open again, and saw Piper and August leave. Ezra closed the door, shutting out the snow and the cold.

He came over to their side, placing a hand on their chest.

“What happened to coming home to us safe?”

Riley sighed, “I tried, but I really had little say in the matter.”

Finn grabbed a bucket that Ezra filled with water. The Witch was calm, his hands steady as he cleaned up the wound, washing the blood away. Most of the bleeding had stopped, leaving only a gash where they had been pierced. They were lucky the cut wasn’t terribly deep.

Finn grabbed and squeezed their hand.

Ezra shut his eyes, and swirls of magic lit up along his arms, trailing to his fingertips which glowed a bright green. He pressed his hands to their wound, his magic enveloping them like a warm embrace.

The wound glowed the same green, before sealing up with barely a mark. Ezra let out a long breath, his magic fading. He looked tired, but he took Riley’s other hand, and kissed it.

“Thank you,” they said weakly, “I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

“How are you feeling now?” he asked.

“Tired, sore, still cold,” they said, “I honestly just want to collapse into bed.”

Finn grinned, “That sounds like a plan.”

He helped them to their feet, as they were still a little shaky, but had their Vampire to steady themself on.

The warm inviting interior of their room was a welcoming sight. Riley stepped aside, pulling off their clothes and changing into a robe which they tied around their waist, and pulled their hair down.

Still shivering and desperate to get under the covers, they were eager to get into bed.

Finn had grabbed an extra blanket, and Riley wrapped themself in it, grateful for the warmth. He kissed them on the top of the head, sidling up next to them, wrapping an arm around them.

Ezra was on their other side, and he leaned over to kiss Finn on the corner of his mouth, before pressing up against Riley. His nestled in, his body warm against theirs, and wrapped an arm around their waist.

Riley let out a long breath, pulling Ezra in tightly and leaning back against Finn.

Finn ran a hand soothingly along their arm.

“Those creatures, they got inside our heads. They turned into August and Piper, and I didn’t know what was real anymore,” Riley explained, their eyes distant in the recounting.

Ezra cupped their face, “I’m sorry you had to go through that.”

Finn pressed a kiss against the base of their neck, “This is real,” he whispered against their skin.

They let out a shaky breath, just pressing against them tighter and trying to chase away the memories of fighting the Fiends.

Ezra pressed a kiss against their neck, his lips so impossibly soft and warm.

Riley turned over on their side, taking his face in both hands, and pulling him for a kiss. On his lips, his cheek, his forehead, and then trailing down his neck and jaw. They could feel him smile, and they threaded their fingers through his curly hair, twirling his white forelock.

He pulled back, resting against the pillow, looking a little flushed and very beautiful.

Riley felt Finn rest his head on their shoulder, nipping at their ear and then their neck. They tilted their head, his lips brushing against their jawline.

“I love you,” they whispered, placing a hand on both of them, and smiling to themself as they heard it back.

Ezra grinned, running his hand down Finn’s arm, before snapping his fingers and sending the room into darkness.

Riley lost themself in the love and warmth of their husbands, driving all thoughts and worries from their mind, for even only a moment.


End file.
